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Official Google Phone Coming in January 2010, Testing Now
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exactly!
No not exactly. There are millions of people on this planet with cell phones. Not all people will buy iphones, not all people want music, twitter, facebook etc. Everyone will not be buying a tablet or a Mac or a Macbook.
Not everyone needs a data plan.
There may be more people who cannot afford an iphone than there are people who can.
The iphone will not put all competitors out of business.
Apple never intentionally went after that market. After they saw that most of the apps that were brought were games, they promoted that angle for sales. It is still believed by people like Carmack that they dislike gaming. They have never mentioned Nintendo or Sony in an earnings report or an ad.
Having played with one today I was highly impressed. I could use it on AT&T too, but 3G didn't seem to be recognized.
They were given out at Google Christmas party last night (in DC anyway) to staff. I do not work for Google, but a friend of mine does.
I mean, to hold, it's Beautiful. It's lighter and thinner than iPhone and felt good in my hand. Typing was easy, familiar to iPhone users. Browser and apps were super speedy. It does have the touchball thing, but I didn't want to use it.
Scrolling was not as smooth as the iPhone, and the only thing I didn't like was that the OLED screen gave a slightly pinkish hue to white backgrounds.
Regardless, I want one
They were given out at Google Christmas party last night (in DC anyway) to staff. I do not work for Google, but a friend of mine does.
I mean, to hold, it's Beautiful. It's lighter and thinner than iPhone and felt good in my hand. Typing was easy, familiar to iPhone users. Browser and apps were super speedy. It does have the touchball thing, but I didn't want to use it.
Scrolling was not as smooth as the iPhone, and the only thing I didn't like was that the OLED screen gave a slightly pinkish hue to white backgrounds.
Regardless, I want one
Whatever their plans were for the itouch is moot at this point. Promoting that angle as you put it is going after that market. I read somewhere hear they may be looking for in house game development? Why would they need to mention MS, Sony or Nintendo? What I see on tv add now is itouch playing games in someone hands. What is different in that then a DS or PSP being advertised?
I have a Moto Droid and an iPod Touch. The iTouch uses the same screen as the iPhone and looking at them both right now the Droid's display looks years and years ahead of the Apple display.
It has Wifi I assume. Does it have Google Voice or something built in so I can use it without a carrier, but just Wifi? (I'm on campus just about all the time, not having to pay for data for it would be awesome).
I'm sure the Apple gang actually would relish a great new challenger and Steve, Jonathan and Company would dive in with incredible gusto if someone would just rise to the occasion! Here's hoping that Google does this.
Totally agree.
I actually have been dual wielding the new Motorola Droid and my iPhone 3Gs for over a month now and have decided to cancel my iPhone. It has everything to do with AT&T. Both phones are excellent but the dropped calls, echos, and static of AT&T are really making me nuts.
I wonder sometimes about people who argue that Apple needs competition in order to innovate. I also wonder about the people who bemoan the iPhone for it's incremental advances over the last 3 years (to an extent they bemoan the incremental advances of all Apple products).
It should be apparent that Apple makes choices in their designs for products based on a number of reasons. A) design limitations. To reach a design they like and want to pursue means the path the products takes right away is xyz. B) technology limitations. To bring a product to market they accept any technological limitations or don't bring it to market until they want (ex iPhone battery life or future apple tablet). C) intentional product evolution. Apple decided which features are activated in which iteration of the product. Ex camera for nano, cut copy paste for iPhone. D) lastly and most importantly is the natural evolution of a product. Ex camera for nano, aluminum unibody MacBooks.
You see those people who complain about the lack of features or want competition to spur development because they feel the iPhone hasn't advanced enough are living in Harry Potter land. Apple doesn't have a cyrstal ball to conjur up the final, last, best fully featured version of the iPhone and proceed to copy it from the magical crystal ball. Lest they actually use that cyrstal ball and voilà we have iPhone 10.0 so everyone buys one and the world ends because there is nothing more to be learned, built, thought, created, enjoyed.
Do I make my point? Apple will innovate when they need to, they allow natural product evolution so we continue to buy new shinys, and they make difficult decisions to release a product or not based on the limits of technology.
Competition or not we might all still be paging people if someone somewhere hadn't started the product evolution for the world.
It should be apparent that Apple makes choices in their designs for products based on a number of reasons. A) design limitations. To reach a design they like and want to pursue means the path the products takes right away is xyz. B) technology limitations. To bring a product to market they accept any technological limitations or don't bring it to market until they want (ex iPhone battery life or future apple tablet). C) intentional product evolution. Apple decided which features are activated in which iteration of the product. Ex camera for nano, cut copy paste for iPhone. D) lastly and most importantly is the natural evolution of a product. Ex camera for nano, aluminum unibody MacBooks.
You see those people who complain about the lack of features or want competition to spur development because they feel the iPhone hasn't advanced enough are living in Harry Potter land. Apple doesn't have a cyrstal ball to conjur up the final, last, best fully featured version of the iPhone and proceed to copy it from the magical crystal ball. Lest they actually use that cyrstal ball and voilà we have iPhone 10.0 so everyone buys one and the world ends because there is nothing more to be learned, built, thought, created, enjoyed.
Do I make my point? Apple will innovate when they need to, they allow natural product evolution so we continue to buy new shinys, and they make difficult decisions to release a product or not based on the limits of technology.
Competition or not we might all still be paging people if someone somewhere hadn't started the product evolution for the world.
You're missing the point. Apple is not competing against Nintendo or Sony directly. Just because they are entering a market (unintentionally) doesn't mean they changed their product cycle because of it. You want to see Apple go after a company? Look at the Mac vs PC ads. Even then they don't bother to compete with MS & whoever on stats. Rumors are going around that they have rejected Intel's Arrandale platform (at least with the integrated graphics) and are waiting for Sandy Bridge.
Apple's main goal has always been to make the best products they can. LOL, after all these years they, oddly enough, decide to put an FM radio inside the iPod.
I dont know if this has been pointed out yet... but that picture is NOT exactly the google phone.
That's the HTC Passion. According to the wall street journal HTC is making a new handset - the "Nexus One" which will be the google phone.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703757404574592530591075444.html?mg=com-wsj
And yeah - this thing is going to kick ass. Hopefully the first true neck-and-neck competitor for the iPhone.
That's the HTC Passion. According to the wall street journal HTC is making a new handset - the "Nexus One" which will be the google phone.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703757404574592530591075444.html?mg=com-wsj
And yeah - this thing is going to kick ass. Hopefully the first true neck-and-neck competitor for the iPhone.
The Google phone is supposed to be a variant of the Passion except better looking. Apparently it will have a little scroll ball so they can copy both Apple and BB at the same time.
If it doesn't come to Verizon, it may as well not exist, as far as I'm concerned. The best network in the US gets the dregs when it comes to phones. C'mon Verizon, play ball with the manufacturers, you bozos!!!
I think you need to stop looking through USA blinkers.
Elsewhere in the world we've great 3G coverage and some carriers already offer calls over 3G VOIP only already. For instance, here in the UK, Three offer lifetime free Skype calls. You don't even need a contract with them. Just buy a pay-as-you-go SIM and you don't even need credit on it.
I use VOIP over 3G often. My Nokia E71 switches between 3G and WiFi automatically. SIP is built in to the OS.
It's good if Google are doing their own phone but it's not like Apple won't have plenty of competition next year with phones like Sony Ericsson's XPERIA X10 Android phone (854x480 4" screen, 1Ghz CPU, 8.1mp camera) and Nokia's X series. The 3GS hardware is looking lame by comparison.
Ive been using an iPhone since a month after the first one came out and I recently gave it to my girl and picked myself up a HTC Eris and I have to say there is a lot I like about it and just a few things I dont care that much for.
Im excited about the google phone and thanks to the holiday return period being extended Im waiting a bit to see if I can get one of these because my experience with the Eris has been fairly good.
I use google voice for all my texting and all my calling so the possible integration with this device and maybe even the Gizmo purchase intrigues me. The possibility of a phone unlocked that maybe has just a data plan and no minute plan seems interesting as well. I know I've got until January 15 for my return period so Im really hoping to see some official dates soon so that I can make my decision. Ive already pretty much decided Im not going back to the iPhone at least until they are sold unlocked and integrated well with Google voice which may never happen.
Im excited about the google phone and thanks to the holiday return period being extended Im waiting a bit to see if I can get one of these because my experience with the Eris has been fairly good.
I use google voice for all my texting and all my calling so the possible integration with this device and maybe even the Gizmo purchase intrigues me. The possibility of a phone unlocked that maybe has just a data plan and no minute plan seems interesting as well. I know I've got until January 15 for my return period so Im really hoping to see some official dates soon so that I can make my decision. Ive already pretty much decided Im not going back to the iPhone at least until they are sold unlocked and integrated well with Google voice which may never happen.
I'm not convinced HTC are the source of the new Google phone rumour.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Android phone due next February has a UI named 'Nexus' and was code named 'Rachael' prior to it's official name. 'Nexus' being the series of replicants/androids in Blade Runner and Rachael being the name of one of the replicants.
Daringfireball has been reporting Android phones accessing the site with a 'Nexus One' user agent already and spinning it as the Google phone when it seems more likely to me at least it's an X10.
The X10 also looks a gazillion times more sexy than anything HTC is likely to come out with too.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/02/sony-ericsson-xperia-x10-announced-we-go-hands-on/
What will Google put on the back of the phone? The back of my iPhone says "Designed by Apple in california. Assembled in China."
This sentence contradicts itself. Its like saying "I should have to pay for stuff I need money for."
No, but there are no competitors. Imagine where we would be if Apple wasn't pushing the envelope. Remember what cell phones were like before the iPhone.
Yeah, except the HTC is clearly visible on the front of the phone. So much for Google only branding.